Khawabi
Khawabi
الخوابي Qala'at Khawabi | |
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Village | |
UTC+3 (EEST ) |
Khawabi (
According to the
History
Medieval era
Like many of the other castles in coastal Syria, the castle of Khawabi has its origins in the
The
After the Ismailis assassinated
The Ismailis maintained their control over Khawabi until the beginning of the
Ottoman era
During the Ottoman era (1516–1918), the Khawabi citadel became a center of the Nahiyah Havabi ("Sub-District of Khawabi.")[3][17] It was originally part of the Sanjak of Tripoli, part of the larger Tripoli Eyalet. In 1563 Khawabi was separated to form the Sanjak of Jableh, along with several other subdistricts in the coastal mountain range.[18] The Sha'ir family from Tripoli served as the governors of Khawabi in the 18th century after being driven out of Batroun.[19]
In 1831 the citadel and its nahiyah became one of the 13 subdistricts of the Sanjak of Latakia, then under the authority of the governors of
Modern era
In 1918–19, during the initial period of
During the French Mandate, Khawabi became overshadowed by al-Sawda, with people traveling to the latter town for commercial transactions instead of Khawabi as in Ottoman times. While Khawabi rapidly declined, al-Sawda became a dynamic regional center having a clinic, a secondary school and a wide range of shops.
Between 1970 and 1998 much of the strongly-built area of the fortress's northern end was dismantled.[8] The current inhabitants, who split into eight main families, own their homes in the village and are largely self-sufficient. Though they are connected to electricity, there were no telephone lines in 1998. A house adjacent to the central citadel serves as the residence of Khawabi's community headman.[21] The citadel is currently registered as private property by the Syrian Directorate of Antiquities and Museums.[4]
Fortress architecture
Qala'at Khawabi measures 350 meters by 200 meters, having a total area of roughly 70,000 square meters.[21][24] It has a single entrance which is preceded by two flights of shallow stairways acquainted for cavalry.[2][8] The first flight consists of 20 steps, leading to the second flight which has 40 steps into the still-preserved gatehouse at the northern end of the fortress. The gatehouse has a double entrance protected by archways and its upper floor's windows have been enlarged.[25]
The fortress consists of two principal sections, Harat Rashid al-Din Sinan (referred to as Bayt al-Agha by locals) and Harat al-Saki. The former occupies the upper area of the citadel and many of its historic characteristics, with the exception of its cellars and stables, virtually disappeared with the construction of new housing in the 1990s. The visible parts of the wall in this section consist of thin reinforced concrete, typical of the architectural designs of the late Ottoman era. Harat al-Saki retains much of its historical character, with its ruined residences, medieval walls and cellars. Although a number of residents of the citadel have built new homes by dismantling some parts of the walls,[4] most of Harat al-Saki's residents have built relocated outside of the citadel walls.[2]
The eastern part of Qala'at Khawabi contains the fortress's main defenses, although its northern end is also strongly buttressed. The latter part of the fortress possesses chambers meant for water storage. In the center of the fortress stands the citadel which is protected by double-walls. A narrow north–south path, from which two alleyways to the eastern and western sections branch out, runs through the middle of the fortress. Willey considered the remaining stone masonry of the outside walls to be "fine," disagreeing with Syrian architecture expert Ross Burns' generally unfavorable opinion of Khawabi's stonework.[21]
References
- ^ a b General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Tartus Governorate. (in Arabic)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Al-Cheikh, Zeina (May–June 2005). "Al-Khawabi Citadel: A Heritage Threatened by Absentmindedness and Neglect" (PDF). Islamic Tourism (17): 60–62.
- ^ a b c d e f Balanche, 2006, p. 47.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Al-Cheikh, Zeina. Al-Khawabi Citadel. Originally published Al-Cheikh, Zeina. Military Architecture. 2011-04-15. "Rehabilitation of Al-Khawabi Citadel." Tishreen University: Faculty of Architecture.
- ^ le Strange, 1890, p. 39.
- ^ a b c Burns, 2009, p. 230.
- ^ Setton, p. 646.
- ^ a b c d e f Willey, 2005, p. 238.
- ^ Burns, 2009, p. 201.
- ^ Daftary, 1992, p. 377.
- ^ a b Runciman, p. 138.
- ^ Humphreys, p. 137.
- ^ a b Daftary, 2007, p. 389.
- ^ Raphael, p. 106.
- ^ Daftary, 2007, p. 402.
- ^ "The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures". 28. University of Chicago Press. 1912: 80.
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(help) - ^ a b "Ottoman Census Data: Minorities, Population and Problems on the Syrian Coast." Tozsuz Evrak, 2012-07-31.
- ^ Hourani, 2010, p. 1149.
- ^ Hourani, 2010, p. 1059.
- ^ Khalil, Ismail. Qalaat Khawabi. E-Tartus. E-Syria. 2010-04-29. (in Arabic)
- ^ a b c d Willey, 2005, p. 239.
- ^ Douwes, ed. Daftary 2011, p. 33.
- ^ Boulanger, 1966, p. 443.
- ^ Castle of Khawabi Archived 2013-06-21 at the Wayback Machine. The Institute of Ismaili Studies. 2009-06-29.
- ^ Willey, 2005, pp. 238-239.
Bibliography
- ISBN 2845868189.
- Boulanger, Robert (1966). The Middle East, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran. Hachette.
- Burns, Ross (2009) The Monuments of Syria: A Guide (third edition) I.B. Tauris, London, page 140, ISBN 978-1-84511-947-8
- Daftary, Farhad (1992). The Isma'Ilis: Their History and Doctrines. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521429749.
- Daftary, Farhad (2007). The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521850841.
- Douwes, Dick (2011). "Modern History of the Nizari Ismailis of Syria". In Farhad, Daftary (ed.). A Modern History of the Ismailis: Continuity and Change in a Muslim Community. I. B. Tauris. ISBN 9781845117177.
- Hourani, Alexander (2010). New Documents on the History of Mount Lebanon and Arabistan in the 10th and 11th Centuries H.
- Humphreys, Stephen (1977), From Saladin to the Mongols: The Ayyubids of Damascus, 1193-1260, SUNY Press, ISBN 0-87395-263-4
- Moosa, Matti (1987). Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 0-8156-2411-5.
- Raphael, Kate (2011). Muslim Fortresses in the Levant: Between Crusaders and Mongols. Taylor & Francis US. ISBN 978-0415569255.
- Runciman, Steven (1987). A History of the Crusades: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187. CUP Archive. ISBN 0521347718.
- Setton, Kenneth M. (2006). A History of the Crusades: The First Hundred Years. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0299048349.